In a significant milestone for Indian Navy and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), an indigenously developed heavy-weight torpedo Varunastra successfully engaged an underwater target on Tuesday, June 6, off the western seaboard. The successful engagement of an underwater target by a Made-in-India heavy-weight torpedo is a significant milestone in the Indian Navy’s and DRDO’s quest for accurate delivery of ordnance on target in the underwater domain.
In an eight-second long video released by the Indian Navy, Varunastra torpedo is seen hitting a target, which looks like a submerged pontoon, in the sea. As soon as the torpedo hits the According to the Navy spokesperson, the successful engagement demonstrated the commitment of the Indian Navy to Future Proof Combat Readiness through Aatmanirbharta. Varunastra was inducted by Indian Navy in 2016 and can be fired from all Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships capable of firing heavy-weight torpedoes in an intense countermeasures environment.
Varunastra, an indigenously developed heavy-weight torpedo
Indigenously developed heavy-weight Varunastra is an electrically-propelled anti-submarine torpedo which is capable of targeting submarines, both in deep and shallow waters. Varunastra has been designed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation in Visakhapatnam.
Features of Varunastra
- The length of Varunastra is 7.780 metres.
- Its diameter stands at 533.4 millimetres.
- Varunastra’s maximum speed is 74 kilometres per hour.
- Weight of the torpedo: 1605 kilogrammes (exercise version), 1850 ± 10 kgs (combat version).
- Varunastra has long range with multi manoeuvering capabilities.
- Varunastra has acoustic homing with a wide look angle capable of tracking silent targets.
- It has Acoustic Counter-Counter-Measures (ACCM) features and multiple signal tracking systems. ACCM generates noise to deceive the sonar guidance systems of enemy warships and torpedoes.
- The ship has autonomous advanced guidance algorithms.
- It has low drift navigational systems over long endurance.